


Centuries Can't Change A Heart

by heartsdesire456



Series: 25 Days of Fandom [24]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas, Fluff, M/M, Magic, Reincarnation, Romance, Snow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-25
Updated: 2014-12-25
Packaged: 2018-03-03 09:23:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2845994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartsdesire456/pseuds/heartsdesire456
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It felt like forever and almost no time at all since he had been used to having Arthur yelling for him like that. There was a time when he thought never being shouted at would be a great thing.</p>
<p>But then he spent 1,475 years waiting for the day he’d hear Arthur yell his name again, spending every single day wishing it would be that day. Now, Merlin didn’t care what volume Arthur used to call his name. Just hearing Arthur’s voice was a blessing each and every time he heard it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Centuries Can't Change A Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Merlin and Arthur's first Christmas after finding each other again!

“MERLIN!”

Merlin stopped mid-scrub of one of the plates he was washing and just smiled as a familiar warmth filled him. There was a time not long ago when he thought he’d never hear Arthur yelling his name ever again. It felt like forever and almost no time at all since he had been used to having Arthur yelling for him like that. There was a time when he thought never being shouted at would be a great thing.

But then he spent 1,475 years waiting for the day he’d hear Arthur yell his name again, spending every single day wishing it would be that day. Now, Merlin didn’t care what volume Arthur used to call his name. Just hearing Arthur’s voice was a blessing each and every time he heard it.

“MERLIN, DID YOU HEAR ME?!” Arthur called again.

Merlin sighed, drying his hands as he turned and headed to the door into the living room. “Yes, Arthur?” he asked, leaning against the door casing to look at where Arthur was on the couch with his leg propped up, indicative that the cold was bothering it. Merlin hated to know Arthur was still in pain, and he hated the way it happened, but Arthur’s leg was a reminder of what brought him back to Merlin. 

Eight months ago, Andrew Norrington and his parents Olivia and Rupert had been in a horrible car accident that took the lives of Olivia and Rupert. They had been riding together to the airport to go on Holiday for the first time since Andrew had moved home from London after deciding to change careers. He lived in his own home, a small cottage by the sea, but he’d been picked up by his parents early in the morning, when the fog was thick. It was the same fog that caused Olivia to miss a turn in the unfamiliar road and send them careening into a fence around a field. 

Olivia and Rupert had been killed, but Andrew had been left in a coma for two months, among other serious injuries. It was only when he woke up that something unimaginable happened: He’d woken up with full memories of a previous life as the legendary King Arthur.

Merlin had been camping in the woods at that time, having spent most of his time wandering the earth as a hermit rather than bother joining a society he’d outlive, and he’d woke up from a cold night’s sleep when a sudden rush of magic shifting flooded him. He’d just _known_ , somehow, that it was Arthur. Arthur had returned. He was back and Merlin had to find him.

It took weeks for Merlin to find Arthur. Arthur had all his memories of his life as Andrew Norrington, but he also remembered being Arthur. When Merlin found him, he had worried Arthur may be a blank slate, with no memories of either life, or possibly just no memories of being Arthur. But when the nurse had led him in after telling a lie about how a co-worker had been in an accident and he heard he was there and he wanted to know if it was him but didn’t know him by anything but a nickname, he saw Arthur and, as soon as Arthur looked up at him, he had gave him the most relieved smile and nodded to him before saying ‘Hello, Merlin’ and that was that.

The first few weeks had been both the best thing in Merlin’s life, and very, very difficult for both of them. Arthur – who wanted to be Arthur now that he knew – was still Andrew. He still had lost his parents, the only family he had, very suddenly. He was now alone in the world at the age of thirty apart from Merlin. He hadn’t been home long enough after moving back from London to really make friends, and even if he had, he had trouble reconciling with the fact that he wasn’t just a young man in modern Britain, but was the long-dead king of Camelot who had become a legend that was mostly believed to be only myth currently. The fact that he had no way to know what happened to everyone in Arthur Pendragon’s life and the fact that he had nobody in his life as Andrew Norrington weighed heavy on him. 

Through it all, Merlin was there. Arthur was so relieved to have Merlin. He had confided that he didn’t know what he’d have done if he hadn’t been able to find Merlin so soon. He spent the first few days back home talking to Merlin about everything that they never had the time to say in their final days together in Camelot. Arthur asked for Merlin to tell him everything from the day Merlin met him to the day Arthur discovered he had magic. He wanted to know what all Merlin had done that there hadn’t been time to learn when he was dying. Merlin hated admitting some things, some of the darkest things he’d done back then, but it was all for Arthur so he deserved to know. 

Harder still had been admitting to Arthur that Merlin didn’t know what happened to anybody else. He’d never gone back to Camelot and he hadn’t ever heard anything but stories. 

_“Why did you never go back?” Arthur asked curiously. “With Guinevere on the throne, you wouldn’t have face any harm for being a sorcerer. You could have gone home.”_

_Merlin smiled sadly, shaking his head. “Home wasn’t home without you, Arthur. You were and have always been my home, even before I knew it.”_

Somewhere along the way, in those first few weeks, the subject of ‘what now?’ had come up. Merlin had spent centuries waiting for Arthur and now that he was back, Merlin wasn’t sure what was supposed to happen. Arthur had no idea why he was back, either, only that he was and that he wasn’t going to waste any time they had together with regrets. He wanted to know everything about Merlin’s magic. He wanted to spend every moment he could learning everything Merlin had been forced to hide from him. He wanted to appreciate how much devotion Merlin had for him.

He also hadn’t wasted any time, in a world where it could be, in reciprocating Merlin’s feelings. Arthur confided that, while he hadn’t ever lied about how much he loved his wife and never once wished to change it, he had always loved Merlin. At the time, the idea of anything but it being as a most trusted friend was something that never occurred to Arthur, but after living a life in the twenty-first century, Arthur knew that he’d been in love with Merlin for years. 

Merlin had never dreamed of Arthur wanting him in that way, but he knew better than to question the blessings of Arthur being back in his life, and additionally, in his arms. He had spent the last few months making sure Arthur knew how much he had always loved him.

“Merlin, are you going to just stare or what?” Arthur asked, breaking Merlin’s reverie. Merlin looked over at the way Arthur’s leg was propped on pillows and winced sympathetically.

It had taken many surgeries to fix the broken bones in Arthur’s leg, so when he was released, Merlin came home with him to help take care of him. He’d had a cast for ages, and more recently, wore a brace. He could walk around with no trouble, not even a limp really eight months after the accident, but the cold weather had been giving him some pain. “Do you need another pain killer?” Merlin asked, walking over. He sat on the coffee table beside Arthur and reached out to shift the pillows under his leg. “I can turn up the heat-“

“No, no, that’s fine,” Arthur said, waving a hand dismissively. “No, I have an idea!” he said excitably. He grabbed Merlin’s hand and tugged at it. “It’s snowing out-“

“No,” Merlin said sternly. “You’re not going to play in the snow, Arthur! Your leg-“

“No, I knew you’d say that,” Arthur argued. “You’re such a mother hen,” he grumbled, rolling his eyes. “Anyway, you should make it snow inside,” he urged. He waved to the Christmas tree. “That way we can make a snowman beside the tree.”

Merlin glared. “Arthur, that would make a huge mess-“

“We have wood floors, it’ll be fine-“

“Arthur-“

“ _Merlin_ ,” he whined, pouting. He turned big, wide blue eyes on Merlin, bottom lip poking out. “Merlin,” he murmured, leaning closer, curling a hand around Merlin’s cheek. He tilted his head and Merlin’s eyes flickered to Arthur’s soft, pink lips. “I just want to have snow at Christmas. My leg will hurt if I go outside.” He smiled slightly, leaning closer. “Just a bit of snow won’t hurt.” He leaned in and brushed his lips against Merlin’s jaw. “Merlin,” he breathed against his skin.

Merlin groaned, deflating. “Dammit,” he grumbled, rolling his eyes. “Fine, but one day, I’m going to actually manage to say no, you realize this, right?”

Arthur smirked, pressing a quick kiss to Merlin’s lips. “No, you won’t.”

Merlin glared, standing up. “I will,” he argued, then waved a hand, eyes flashing bright gold before snow began to gently fall from the ceiling. Arthur beamed, looking around with bright wonder in his eyes, reminding Merlin exactly _why_ he always gave in to Arthur’s every whim. 

Arthur held out his hand and blinked when the snow landed on his hand. “It’s not cold! Or wet!”

Merlin scoffed. “You’ll get out of mopping up with your leg hurting from the cold, I’m not cleaning up puddles alone later, so yes, warm and dry snow.” He grabbed Arthur, pulling him to his feet. “Let’s move the furniture and make a bloody snowman, then.”

Arthur beamed and rushed to help, though Merlin did most of the pushing around while Arthur more guided him. Once they’d cleared the room so that there was a large open space between the fireplace and the Christmas tree. They rolled up the rug and then stood, watching as snow began to pile up. “Will it stick together?”

Merlin nodded. “Yeah, I can do that,” he said, and Arthur grinned playfully.

“Ah magic. It’s so useful. Very glad my boyfriend can just do that cute flashy eye thing and give me absurd things like this,” he said, grabbing Merlin’s hand. Merlin ‘aww’ed softly, but he shoudln’ve known Arthur wasn’t holding his hand to be nice because, the next moment, Arthur smirked and shoved him over into the snow. Merlin glared up at him and Arthur grinned evilly and then started scooping snow and dumping it on top of him. “Who needs a snow angel when I’ve got a snow-covered Merlin?” he asked and Merlin huffed, but let Arthur have his fun.

After thoroughly burying Merlin, Arthur helped him up and then they worked together to build a snowman. When the finished and dressed it in a sweater and scarf, Merlin took Arthur’s distraction as an excuse to heft a handful of snow at his face. Arthur spluttered and flailed, only to come up with a challenging look and start throwing snow right back at him. They both laughed and chased each other around the living room, throwing snow, before Arthur got smart and tackled Merlin back onto the couch that was shoved up against the wall, pinning him down on it so that he could rub snow in his face. “Ahhh, I give up, I give up!” Merlin cried, swatting at Arthur’s hands.

Arthur smirked as he lowered his last handful of snow and dropped it on the floor. “You do, huh?”

Merlin nodded, smiling up at him with pink cheeks. “Mercy?” he asked hopefully, giving Arthur an innocent look.

Arthur hummed, then shifted, lowering himself to rest between Merlin’s splayed legs, hands braced on either side of his head. “Only because I love you,” he conceded, pressing a kiss to Merlin’s lips. Merlin hummed, moving to hold Arthur’s soft, sweater-covered sides. When the kiss broke, Arthur brushed his lips against Merlin’s cheekbones on either side, then his eyelids, then his nose, making Merlin made a face. “Thank you, Merlin.”

Merlin sighed, pressing back into the cushion some to smile up at him. “It’s nothing, Arthur.”

Arthur shook his head. “Not just the snow.” He pressed their foreheads together. “ _Thank you_.”

Merlin swallowed hard and surged up, kissing Arthur in lieu of answering. Arthur never had to thank him. Merlin was just grateful for all the chances he’d had to make Arthur smile. 

Arthur’s smile was worth all the pain in the world.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm STILL TAKING WISHES for the FINAL 25 Days of Fandom fic tomorrow!
> 
> I can't guarantee I'll write yours, but I will consider it if you have a request!!!


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